William h



(No Model.)

W. H. GRIFFITH.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 386,582. Patented July 24, 1888.

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NITED STATES WILLIAM H. GRIFFITH, OF BOLIVAR, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND C. C. GRUNDY, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR=COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 386,582 dated July 24, 1888.

(No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. GRIFFITH, of Bolivar, in the county of Denton and State of Texas, have invented new and Improved Automatic Oar-Couplings, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to car-couplings; and has for its object to provide a car-coupling which will be automatically thrown into enro gagement,and which may be safely uncoupled by a person on the car.

The invention consists in a car-coupling constructed and arranged as hereinafter described and claimed.

I 5 Reference is .to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side view of the invention,

2o partly in vertical section, showingacouplinglink in position just before being coupled. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on linexx of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a detail View in vertical section looking toward the end of the coupling, showing the coupling-pin and connections with the pin engaging the coupling-link. Fig. 4 is a side view ofthe coupling-link, and Fig. 5 isa detail, partly broken away, of an attachment to the draw-head.

In coupling and uncoupling cars great risk to life is attendant upon getting between the cars to effect the coupling, and the couplingis not easily accomplished, as the link has to be held in position to enter the draw-head and the pin has to be dropped quickly into position at the right moment to engage the link, and the person attending to this,having to look out for himself and avoid being caught between the bumpers, lets go of the link too soon and 4o pushes in the pin at the wrong time, thereby failing to couple the cars. This often occurs two or three times before the coupling is effected. To avoid this I have constructed a coupling whereby the coupling-pin is normally heldin position forengagement with the coupling-link, and the latter is also normally held to enter and engage the meeting draw-heads and automatically releases the coupling-pin and permits it to drop into engagement with 5o the link.

In the construction of this invention the draw-head 1 is provided with a vertical frame consisting, as shown, of posts 2, mounted on a block, 3, secured to the draw-head 1. The posts 2 are secured in any suitable manner to 55 block 3, and may be braced, as shown, by a bent rod, 4, extending downward past the draw-head 1 and through a cross-strip, 5, and secured thereto by nuts 6, engaging its screwthreaded ends 7. The block 3 may also be 6o braced by a rod, 8, extending across the bottom and sides of the draw-head 1 and through a cross-piece, 9, of the block 3 and secured thereto by nuts 10,engaging its screw-threaded ends 11. The vertical frame further consists of a vertical socket-piece, 12, located between the posts 2, and having its head 13 secured by screws 14 to the posts 2 and extending through a cross-brace piece, 15, between the posts,secured thereto by screws 16. The ver- 7o tical piece 12 is formed with a socket, 17, in which is located a coupling-pin,18,and a coiled spring, 19, bearing against the enlarged portion or head 20 of pin 18. Thelatter has fastened to it a rope, 2l, which passes up through 75 a hole, 22, in the upper end of vertical piece 12, and is secured to a drum, 23, mounted in brackets 24C at the upper end of posts 2, and provided with a crank-handle, 25.

By turning the crank 25 the rope 2l will be 8o wound upon the drum 23, and the pin 1S drawn up out ofengagernent with the couplinglink. Upon the end of draw-head 1 is mounted a sliding piece, 26, having a U-shaped upper portion, 27, located on the top of the draw- S5 head and projecting past the outer end of block 3, and an extended lower portion, 2S, projecting into the recess 29 of draw-head 1, and formed with a shouldered end, 30, and a hole, 31 adapted to register with holes 32, for 9o the coupling-pin in draw-head l.

The U-shaped upper portion, 27, of sliding piece 26 is movable on guide-rods 33,mountcd in cross-piece 9, and has located between it and the cross-piece 9 coiled springs 34, which 95 serve to hold the sliding piece 26 outward on draw-head 1, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The block 3 is provided with a hole, 35, which coincides with holes 32 and opens into a circular recess, 36, in block 3, adapted to I'oo receive the circular head 20 of pin 18.l The coupling-link 37 consists of the ilat strip 38, formed with oblong slots 39, for the couplingpin, and pieces 40, pivoted in brackets 41 on the top of the strip 38, and resting at their outer end on a coiled spring, 42. The pivoted pieces are formed with an oblong slot, 43, corresponding with slot 39 in strip 38. The coupling-link 37 is also constructed with elastic metallic bow'shaped strips 44, which eX- tend about the ends of the strip 38, and are secured thereto at its ends, the ends of the strips 44 being formed with oblong slots 45, engaging screws or pins 46, and adapted to move freely thereon. 44,being bowed and extending out from strip 38, engage the sides of the recess 29 of drawhead l, when the end of the coupling-link 37 enters recess 29, and by means of their sliding end connection with pins 46 yield to the pressure against the sides of recess 29, andboth guide the coupling-link steadily into place and hold it from rattling laterally. One end l of link 37 being pushed into a draw-head, 1, and engaged with a coupling-pin, 18, the 'pivoted piece 40,pressing up against the extended portion 28 of sliding piece 26 by means of spring 42, holds the link in position for its opposite end to enter the recess 29 of the opposite drawhead,bringing the end of the other pivoted piece 40 against the shouldered end 30 of sliding piece 26.

The' coupling operates as follows: When the parts are nncoupled, the sliding piece 26 is held outward by the springs 34, and the coupling-pin rests against the top of the portion 28 f of sliding piece 26, adjacent to hole 31, as

shown in Fig. 1, the spring 19 being held iinde'r tension by the pin 18. The end of the coupling-link 37 entering the recess 29 of drawhead l, as shown in Fig. 1, the pivoted piece bears against the shouldered end 30 of sliding piece 26 and forces it back, bringing the hole 31 in line with the holes 32. The pin 18 is thereupon forced downward by spring 19 and passes through hole 31, lslots 39 and 43, and lower hole, 32, in draw-head 1, as shown in Fig. 3, thereby effecting the coupling of the link.

To uncouple the link, it is simply necessary to wind the rope 21 upon the drum 23 until the end of the pin 18 is drawn above the pory tion 28 of piece 26. The pin 18 being now yout of engagement with the link 37, upon withdrawing the link from recess 29 the springs 34, by their tension,will force out sliding piece 26 and bring the solid part of its portion 28 beneath pin 18, thereby holding the latter in position to be automatically thrown into engagement with link 37.

By means of this invention ears may be easily and effectively coupled and uncou pled without causing of loss of life or injury. The coupling-pin will always be in position to be automatically engaged with thelink,and there The sides of the strips t seas@ will be no chance for the cupling-pin to be lo'st.

I do not intend to limit myself to the exact construction and arrangement of parts as set forth, as the details thereof may be varied without departing from the essential features of the invention.

Having thus described rn y invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A car-coupling consisting ofa drawhead having a spring-actuated sliding piece' projecting into-the draw-head, with a shouldered end therein, and a hole adaptedto register with the coupling holes in the draw-head, a coupling-link having yielding slotted pieces pivoted at its ends above slots in the ends of the link, and a coupling-pin with reacting spring mounted in a frame having a windingdrum, and a rope connected with the coupling-pin, the latter projecting through and engagingthe sliding piece and link, substantially as shown and described.

4 2. In a car coupling, a draw head having a sliding piece projecting into the drawhead with an inner shouldered end and a hole adapted to register with the coupling-pin holes in the draw-head, and normally held out ofline therewith by retractingsprings, and a coupling-pin connected by a cord with a winding-drum mounted in a frame, and a spring pressing the coupling-pin against the sliding piece inthe draw-head, substantially as shown and described.

3. The car-coupling link 37, consisting of a dat strip, 38, having oblong slots 39,end pieces, 40, with slots 43, pivoted in brackets 41, and resting on .coiled springs 42, and the bowed strips 44, extending about the ends of strip 38, and connected thereto by oblong slots 45, at their ends engaging pins 46, substantially asshown and described.

4'. A car-coupling link consisting of a flat strip having oblong slots at its ends, and spring-actuated pivoted pieces with oblong slots extending` over the slotted ends of the link, substantially as shown and described.

5. A car-coupling consisting of draw-head 1, having sliding piece 26 extending into recess 29 ofthe draw-head, and having a shouldered end, 30, perforation 31, and retracting springs 34, and a frame consisting of posts 2, with drum 23, crank 25, and rope 21, and central socket-piece, 12, having coupling-pin 18, secured to rope 21, and a reacting-spring, 19, in combination with coupling-link 37, having oblong slots 39 at its ends, and bowed elastic strips 44, with slots 45 at their ends engaging pins 46, and pieces 40 with slots 43, pivoted in brackets 41 and resting on springs 42, substantially as shown and described.

WILLIAM H. GRIFFITH.

Witnesses:

` C. J. CASH,

M. J. NANOE.

IOO

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